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#156375 - 10/27/11 12:43 AM Re: Cheap gear for beginners [Re: Gershon]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada
Originally Posted By Gershon
Well, to get in the spirit of things, I stopped in the thrift store to see what I could find.


My local thrift store usually does very well. it typically takes me no time for find
- socks - poly dress and woolies
- pants - often "track pants" or exercise pants. as long as they'll dry quick
- fleece (it's everywhere)
- rain/wind shells (maybe not goretex, but good enough, either waterproof, or nylon and you nikwax it)
- shoes (often an amazing selection of acceptable running shoes or light hiking boots)

I tend to walmart for the nylon "athletic shirts" or underwear.




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#156380 - 10/27/11 02:50 AM Re: Cheap gear for beginners [Re: phat]
oldranger Offline
member

Registered: 02/23/07
Posts: 1735
Loc: California (southern)
It is really amazing to consider that the continent was settled without the benefit of Gore-tex. How did they ever manage?

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#156383 - 10/27/11 07:34 AM Re: Cheap gear for beginners [Re: oldranger]
lori Offline
member

Registered: 01/22/08
Posts: 2801
Originally Posted By oldranger
It is really amazing to consider that the continent was settled without the benefit of Gore-tex. How did they ever manage?


"Don't touch the sides of the tent!"
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#156384 - 10/27/11 07:41 AM Re: Cheap gear for beginners [Re: lori]
Gershon Offline
member

Registered: 07/08/11
Posts: 1110
Loc: Colorado
Originally Posted By lori
Originally Posted By oldranger
It is really amazing to consider that the continent was settled without the benefit of Gore-tex. How did they ever manage?


"Don't touch the sides of the tent!"


Didn't know you were old enough to remember that.

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#156386 - 10/27/11 08:26 AM Re: Cheap gear for beginners [Re: oldranger]
Glenn Offline
member

Registered: 03/08/06
Posts: 2617
Loc: Ohio
A great number of them didn't - many died in the process. (Would our modern gear have saved them? Quite probably not.)

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#156388 - 10/27/11 08:50 AM Re: Cheap gear for beginners [Re: Glenn]
phat Offline
Moderator

Registered: 06/24/07
Posts: 4107
Loc: Alberta, Canada
malarky.. goretex won't do anything a good waxed cotton (aka "oilskin") won't.. it's just lighter and easier to care for. and being wet won't kill you, being cold will. Wool works too. you don't stay dry, but you'll stay alive. Would oldtimers have died of exposure, sure, but not for lack of modern gear. for lack of appropriate gear in the situation they were in.

I personally often use a 100 weight fleece as "raingear" - I stay warm, and it dries quick. If I'm moving I am no less wet from the rain than I am from sweat wearing a baggie.


Edited by phat (10/27/11 08:55 AM)
_________________________
Any fool can be uncomfortable...
My 3 season gear list
Winter list.
Browse my pictures


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#156391 - 10/27/11 11:38 AM Re: Cheap gear for beginners [Re: phat]
OregonMouse Online   content
member

Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6799
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Phat, glad to see you back!

My parents' tent, bought in 1941, was made of waxed Egyptian cotton. It weighed about 12 lbs., which was considered lightweight back then for a 3-person tent. You could touch the sides without starting a leak. The tent material that couldn't be touched was unwaxed canvas. The tent finally met its demise in 1962 when a large branch fell through it during a 90 mph windstorm on Puget Sound. We had already left the tent for a nearby picnic shelter when the wind and rain started to pick up, long before the branch came down.

I personally avoid Goretex. Inside Goretex I sweat as much as with non-breathable coated nylon. I also had two different (expensive) Goretex jackets wet through where the pack straps rub after a couple of trips. I now use non-breathable rain gear. Not the old-fashioned oilskins, but silnylon with seams sealed. I got it plenty big so it's loose for more ventilation. If it's warm rain, I don't bother with rain gear while I'm actively hiking. My nylon shirt (or base layer top) and pants dry out on my body in 15-20 minutes once it stops raining.


Edited by OregonMouse (10/27/11 11:44 AM)
_________________________
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#156392 - 10/27/11 12:50 PM Re: Cheap gear for beginners [Re: OregonMouse]
ppine Offline
member

Registered: 01/10/10
Posts: 184
Loc: Minden, Nevada
Does anyone know the name Filson? Working in Alaska in country with 150 inches of rain a year, Goretex will eventually leak. It gets torn up in the brush. When you fall down which happens frequently, it is very slippery and therefore dangerous.

In July, the best materials often times are still wool long underwear and and wax-impregnated cotton pants believe it or not. A hardhat keeps the rain off and protects from widow makers. Specialized conditions call for specialized clothing and equipment.

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#156393 - 10/27/11 12:54 PM Re: Cheap gear for beginners [Re: ppine]
aimless Online   content
Moderator

Registered: 02/05/03
Posts: 3292
Loc: Portland, OR
Filson? Sure thing. I used to own a pair of wool twill Filson pants back in the day (1970s).

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#156557 - 11/01/11 12:28 PM Re: Cheap gear for beginners [Re: DTape]
Gershon Offline
member

Registered: 07/08/11
Posts: 1110
Loc: Colorado
deleted


Edited by Gershon (11/01/11 12:29 PM)
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